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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — a company
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rock — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. firm — decided
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ground — the earth
  23. firm — steady
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com